The 1143.61-metre-long barog tunnel is the center of attraction of the kalka shimla train. This tunnel
has a tragic story associated with its construction. Barog, who was in charge of this tunnel, committed the mistake of digging the tunnel from both ends of the hill. Both ends of the tunnel could not meet due to wrong alignment. It is said that the British authorities fined Barog Re 1 for wasting government money in the tunnel. The British engineer could not digest this humiliation and during a walk along with his pet dog, shot himself in sheer desperation. He killed himself near what now is the state government-run Barog Pine Wood Hotel. It is said that his dog upon seeing his master bleeding profusely ran in panic to a village, near the present Barog railway station, for help. However, by the time people reached the spot, Barog had breathed his last.One end of the tunnel, the wrong alignment of which led Barog to commit suicide. There are different versions about the suicide as some say the dejected engineer shot his dog before he shot himself. He was buried in front of the tunnel, near the Kalka-Shimla national highway, about 1 km from Barog. Ironically neither the Railway authorities nor the state government has done anything to maintain his grave.
A signboard giving details about the sad end of Barog was put up near his grave but that too has now disappeared. As a result, it is now even difficult to locate the whereabouts of his grave. The forlorn tunnel has now been closed. The tunnel has a natural water source that meets the water demand of the Special Service Bureau (SSB), Dharampur. As much as Rs 8.50 lakh was incurred on the Barog tunnel. Work on it started in July 1900 and completed in September 1903. Many workers, most of them Indians, died during its construction. Trains, running at 25 kilometre per hour, take 2.5 minutes to cross the tunnel.
